Sprinting Over Age 30: Stay Fast and Injury-Free

By Shane Dowd, CES, CMP

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I came across this crazy stat online...have you seen it?

Now, I’m not sure how accurate it is that 95% of adults over 30 will never sprint again. But it did get me thinking...

How often do YOU actually see adults sprinting? Not much, right?

Why is that?

1 simple word: injuries.

And I can relate! Back in 2011, injuries used to stop me from sprinting, too, but now they don't!

What changed? How did I recover? How was I able to get faster without getting hurt?

In this video and companion article, I will reveal all that.

I'm going to break down the step-by-step process that I learned from Olympic-level track & field coaches.

This 3-step "return to sprinting" protocol helped me to recover from my injuries and get back to sprinting – not just at age 30, but at almost 40.

And it can help you, too. Stay tuned!

How I Almost Lost The Ability to Sprint Forever

Here's how my story started...

In 2011, I was dealing with some pretty serious hip issues—hip impingement and a labrum tear, to be exact. Not to mention, at one point, I almost severed my knee in half.

To say my challenges were severe would be an understatement.

That's why, in my 20's, Doctors and specialists told me that I was going to need surgery and my athletic life was probably over.

But, long story short, I fixed it WITHOUT surgery.

STEP 1: Fix Pain, Get Flexible.

The first step in my recovery journey was getting my pain healed and improving my joint mobility. I did this using something called The TSR Method. This is the system that now powers my Hip Fix and VIP mentorship programs.

But what's the "joint mobility" business?

Most people still don't understand just how critical joint mobility is in healing injuries and preventing future ones.

When you look at the definition of "Mobility" ("the ability to move freely and easily") it starts to make more sense.

See if you can follow this simple logic:

If you can't move freely and easily at the joint level, your body compensates.
If your body compensates too much or over a long enough period of time, breakdowns happen.
This is like a car being out of alignment. Eventually, wear and tear causes a breakdown.
Similarly, a lack of joint mobility can eventually lead to a body breakdown.

That's why I named my business "Got ROM." If you don't have "ROM" (the ability to move freely and easily), you don't have anything.

You can get stronger, faster, or more fit on top of crappy mobility. It's a recipe for disaster.

So, step 1 is always to fix the pains and improve the mobility.

This is your foundation, so don't skip steps.

If you need help with this, check out my top-rated "Fix Injury University" and Flexibility University curriculums.

STEP 2: Get Specialized 1:1 Coaching/Mentorship

Next, you need to get some 1:1 coaching.

Getting back into sprinting was a huge goal for me. But I didn’t do it alone.

I had some incredible mentors, like Carl, who’s coached Olympic athletes, and Matt, who’s not only a track and field coach but has also had five hip surgeries himself. These guys helped me learn how to sprint again, even with all the injuries I was dealing with.

Here's specifically what they taught me...

The Right Way to Get Back into Sprinting

Matt taught me that there is a right way and a wrong way to get back into sprinting...

If you’ve ever tried sprinting after a long break, you might’ve ended up hurt. And while we’d like to blame age alone, it's a little more complex than that.

The real reason (much more important than age) is: load management and proper progressions.

Carl explained it perfectly:

“Think of a sprint as a one-rep max on a deadlift. You wouldn’t try to deadlift 405 pounds unless you’ve trained up to it in both the short and long-term. The same goes for sprinting.”

Why the Right Progression Matters

Before you jump into full-speed sprints, you need to build up to it.

Not too much...

Not too little...

Just right.

That means starting with shorter distances at lower intensities and gradually increasing both as you build strength and endurance.

According to USA Track & Field and other experts, this gradual progression is key. It helps prevent injuries and ensures you can keep sprinting for years to come.

Recommended Sprinting Progression for Adults Over 30

Before you start sprinting, you need to prepare your body.

Start with simple plyometric exercises like ankle jumps, skips, or power skipping to prepare your muscles and tendons. Boo, Schexnayder, another sprint/jumps expert, says,

“Plyometrics are essential for preparing the muscles and tendons for the intense forces experienced during sprinting.”

Then, begin with very short sprints—10 to 20 yards—at low intensity, around 50 to 60 percent, just to get your body used to the movement.

Keep warming up until you've "cooked the bird to the bone" (as Carl used to say).

Once your hot n' sweaty, use this 10-week sprint progression to get you up to game-speed:

Weeks 1-2: Start with 10- to 20-yard sprints at 50 to 60 percent intensity. Focus on form and staying relaxed.
Weeks 3-4: Gradually increase to 30-yard sprints at 60 to 70 percent intensity, still focusing on technique.
Weeks 5-6: Progress to 40-yard sprints at 70 to 80 percent intensity, introducing a slight increase in speed.
Weeks 7-8: Move to 50-yard sprints at 80 to 90 percent intensity, focusing on maintaining good form at higher speeds.
Weeks 9-10: Incorporate 60-yard sprints at 90 to 95 percent intensity, working on sustaining speed over longer distances.

The goal here is to build up gradually, allowing your muscles and tendons to adapt, reducing the risk of injury.

As USA Track & Field puts it,

“Gradual progression in intensity and volume is key to preventing injuries and ensuring long-term athletic development.”

Obviously, this is pretty common sense, but I see over-age-30 athletes all the time hopping into sprinting and recreational sports without gradually warming their bodies up and gradually progressing their intensity and volume in the prior weeks and months.

They just get out there, do a couple of cross-body arm stretches, and then start playing! And then, when an injury inevitably happens, they chalk it up to "just getting old!"

But not you, not anymore!

Technique Tips for Injury-Free Sprinting

Now, let’s talk about technique. When you sprint, you need to focus on staying fast but relaxed.

Matt once told told me,

“A lot of people think they need to be super tense when they’re sprinting, but if you watch elite athletes, they’re relaxed.”

This relaxed posture helps keep your form fluid, which can improve speed and reduce injury risk.

Legendary sprinting coach Bud Winter used to tell his athletes to focus on having a “loose jaw — loose hands.” He believed that relaxing your hands and jaw kept your entire body relaxed. So, when you sprint, think of going for the “brook trout look”—relaxed and smooth.

When to Sprint

You can mix sprinting into your strength-training workouts. Since sprinting stresses your lower body, do your sprints on the days you train your lower body.

Carl likes his athletes to sprint before lifting so they’re fresh and ready to go. This follows good sports training principles as outlined in Frank Dicks's classic "Sports Training Principles."

Why You Should Sprint Again

So, why should you even bother with sprinting?

First off, it's fun! There’s something about that burst of speed—whether it’s in ultimate frisbee, basketball, or just sprinting in nature–that just can't be beaten.

Second, sprinting could save your life one day. Imagine needing to run as fast as you can—maybe you’re being chased by a bear, or you need to dash across the street to save someone from oncoming traffic. In these moments, you want to be ready! And you don’t want to be worrying about blowing out a knee or pulling a muscle.

Finally, sprinting is an awesome workout. You don’t need a gym, and it’s great for conditioning. Plus, it strengthens your lower leg muscles and tendons and trains your fast-twitch fibers, which are super important as we age.

STEP 3: Now, "Inevitablize" Your Consistency

Look, the thrill of moving your body as fast as it can go shouldn’t be something you leave behind in your twenties. Keep pushing your limits and stay connected with that explosive “Go!” at every age.

But the key (as with anything in life) is consistency.

If you’re ready to take your first steps—or rather, sprints—towards a stronger, faster you, start with the progression I shared today.

If you want more help, check out our "DIY" programs here. If you want 1-on-1 personalized help to fix ANY chronic pain 2-3x faster, check out GotROM.com/vip to see if you qualify for our 1-on-1 “VIP Mentorship or

In the VIP program, we help not only people with hip pain but also people who want to be the Ultimate Lifelong Athletes.

To help our 1:1 students accomplish that, we use specialty customized dashboards to track various metrics of stability, mobility, speed, strength, stamina, and more.

And, as always, please remember: you're just 1 step away from building (or rebuilding) your perfect body.